MIDFIELD,
Alabama -- The City of Midfield is making progress on two important construction
projects -- a new storm shelter and two long-awaited walking tracks --
according to public works director Jeff Zissette.

Construction
on the storm shelter began Monday, Zissette told the City Council at their
meeting Monday night.

Zissette
said that he visited the site Monday morning and met with the contractors.

"We
went over the layout again, and they had the equipment there," he said. "They
unloaded. They broke ground. They started putting the pad in."

The
shelter is being built adjacent to the Midfield fire station, Zissette said.

The
council voted July 25 to authorize Mayor Gary Richardson to enter into an agreement with
Aquamarine Enterprises and CNC General Contractors to complete the project.

Richardson said after the meeting Monday that Aquamarine, based in Danville, Ala.
is supplying and installing the shelter, and CNC is doing some of the other
work at the site.

Funding
for the project is being supplied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and
managed by the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.

The
project is "moving along," according to Zissette, though he said he does not
have an estimated completion date.

"I think
the shelter itself is actually sitting on the lot just waiting to be delivered,"
he said. "It shouldn't be that long."

The
walking trails under construction in Brookwood and Midfield parks could be
completed quickly if it would stop raining, according to Zissette.

"If we
could get some dry weather, we could get these things finished up," Zissette
said. "When it's raining every couple of days, and you are down to doing the top
soil and the dirt work, it's too much. You need 4 or 5 good, dry days to
get this taken care of.

The
contractor was able to put the top coat of asphalt -- the wearing surface -- on
the walking track at Midfield Park, according to Zissette.

"It's
ready to go," he said. "They've got some backfilling, some dirt work, to do
around it."

The wearing
surface will be applied to the track at Brookwood Park soon if the weather
cooperates, according to Zissette.

"They
are waiting for it to dry up to take paving equipment into (the park)," he said.
"There are several, low areas where those dump trucks would have to go, and it
would be a mess."